Customer Reviews

American Slapstick, Vol. 2

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Prominent in this assortment of silent comedies are Harold Lloyd and his brother Gaylord, along with the usual cast of Hal Roach players. Charle Chaplin doesn't appear here, but is represented by imitators like Billy West. Also, his half-brother Syd stars in three of these. There's a few with female headliners, some from Lloyd Hamilton Corp (Educational Studios), and several nearly-forgotten Hal Roach releases. Two 1930s sound shorts complete the program.

Due to this material's obscurity, AMERICAN SLAPSTICK, Vol. 2 will best appeal to silent movie fans looking to give their collections depth. For anyone just starting a silent comedy library (and who prefer DVD multi-packs), recommended are the more mainstream artists available on these 'budget' sets: THE BUSTER KEATON COLLECTION, SMILES & SPECTACLES - The Harold Lloyd Treasury, CHARLIE CHAPLIN - 51 Features, or LOST AND FOUND: The Harry Langdon Collection.

CONTENTS:

HAROLD LLOYD:
Bliss (1917) - Harold Lloyd/'Snub' Pollard/Bebe Daniels/Billy Evans
By the Sad Sea Waves (1917) - Harold Lloyd/'Snub' Pollard/Bebe Daniels/Billy Fay/Fred C. Newmeyer
Don't Shove (1919) - Harold Lloyd/Bebe Daniels/Bud Jamison/Noah Young/Fred C. Newmeyer/'Snub' Pollard
Hey There! (1918) - Harold Lloyd/'Snub' Pollard/Bebe Daniels/Billy Fay/King Zany
Luke Joins the Navy (1916) - Harold Lloyd/'Snub' Pollard/Bebe Daniels/Billy Fay/Bud Jamison

HAL ROACH 'B' SHORTS:
The Dippy Dentist (1920) - 'Snub' Pollard/Marie Mosquini/'Sunshine' Sammy Morrison/Gaylord Lloyd
Dodge Your Debts (1921) - Gaylord Lloyd/Estelle Harrison/George Rowe/William Gillespie
Looking for Trouble (1919) - 'Snub' Pollard/Marie Mosquini/Gaylord Lloyd/William Gillespie/Mildred Davis
Shiver and Shake (1922) - James Parrott/Jobyna Ralston
Whirl o' the West (1921) - 'Snub' Pollard/Marie Mosquini/Hughie Mack/Eddie Boland/Sammy Brooks
At Your Service (1921) - Sidney Smith

EDUCATIONAL STUDIOS:
Breezing Along (1927) - Lloyd Hamilton/Estelle Bradley/Eva Thatcher
A Fresh Start (1920) - Jimmie Adams/Marvel Rea/Frank J. Coleman/Lige Conley
Jonah Jones (1924) - Dick Sutherland/Lloyd Hamilton/Babe London/Dorothy Seastrom
Post No Bills (1923) - James Parrott/Marie Mosquini/Bobby Ray/Jack Ackroyd/Ford West

CHAPLIN RELATED:
Caught in a Park (1915) - Syd Chaplin/Chester Conklin/Alice Davenport/Edgar Kennedy/Polly Moran/Mack Swain
Charley Out West (1919) (no data available)
Charley's Aunt (1925) - Syd Chaplin/Ethel Shannon/James E. Page/Lucien Littlefield/Leo White
Gussle's Wayward Path (1915) - Syd Chaplin/Claire Anderson/Mack Cooley/Will Mason/Phyllis Allen
The Hobo (1917) - Billy West/Oliver Hardy/Leo White/Bud Ross/Virginia Clark
Oh! Shoot (1923) - Bobby Dunn/Eddie Lyons

HEARTS AND HAVOC:
Be Reasonable (1921) - Billy Bevan/Mildred June/Eddie Gribbon/Kewpie Morgan/Bobby Dunn
Call the Wagon (1923) - Neal Burns/Charlotte Merriam/Babe London/George B. French
Kid Speed (1924) - Larry Semon/Dorothy Dwan/Oliver Hardy/Frank Alexander

THE LADIES:
Cinderella Cinders (1920) - Alice Howell/Richard Smith/Rose Burkhardt/Mattie Fitzgerald/Leo Sulky
Faro Nell (1929) - Louise Fazenda/Jack Luden/Frank Rice/Harry Woods/Charles Mack
A Hash House Fraud (1915) - Louise Fazenda/Hugh Fay/Fritz Schade/Harry Bernard/Chester Conklin
Hold Still (1926) - Anne Cornwall/Jack Duffy/William Blaisdell/Jimmie Adams

"TALKIES":
Hollywood Runaround (1932) - Monte Collins/Gertrude Messinger/Matthew Betz/John T. Murray
Playboy Number One (1937) - Willie Howard/Janet Reade/Louis Sorin/Ruth Leavitt/Charles Slattery

I just received my copy of the three-disc set. I like the general way in which they have presented the material. Excellent musical scores composed for each film are worth noting. The organizing of each section is also thoughtful: by studio, star or genre. The quality of most of the films is not first rate however. When compared to the quality of KINO or Image Entertainment or even Lobster Films, these films are slightly out of focus and look like copies from videos at times. I'm no expert in this area, but like the first box they put out, the quality is only fair. On the other hand they have some real gems assembled, few if any of which are to be found on other discs (though I do have some on VHS).
This is a nice filler for the collector, with Gaylord Lloyd, Alice Howell and Anne Cornwall among others to be discovered and enjoyed. just wish I didn't have to squint a tad to do it!

With the major output of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon and, to some degree, even Roscoe Arbuckle now being available on the home-video market in their own exqusite DVD sets, one could think that securing the pearls of silent comedy for future generations was a mission accomplished. However, one thing anyone who holds these clowns holy (or close) can confirm, is that silent comedy is an obsession that can literally last for life; once you think you've seen it all, Laughsmith Entertainment releases yet another set consisting of rarities which puts beyond doubt that such is not the case! Volume 2 of AMERICAN SLAPSTICK is in several ways even more pleasing than the first volume, and should hence satisfy buffs of silent comedy longing for more laughs.

Consisting of three discs in all, the show begins with five of Harold Lloyd's earliest film appearances as the "Glasses character," as well as an excerpt from an older "Lonesome Luke." Naturally, Lloyd was at the very beginning of his mature process as a performer at this point, and the lovely, "regular boy" of his later films is not that lovely here; he's pretty one-dimensional, as is the universe that evolves around him, but no less are these films interesting to watch as documentation of the early, often neglected point of his movie career, and they do also provide quite a few worthwhile gags. The next film, DODGE YOUR DEBTS, is one of the few available films starring Harold's real-life brother Gaylord Lloyd, displaying him as yet another unfortunate tax-collector in the history of silent comedy. This short is not only fun to see for observing the physical resemblances between the two brothers, but is quite a worthwhile comedy in its own right, with a solid performance from Gaylord and plenty of funny gags.

Further into Disc One are a few films starring `Snub' Pollard, all of which are amusing, but ultimately feel somewhat like `Snub' Pollard himself; clearly in possession of talent, good fun for a while, but not too engaging beyond that. I'm very grateful more of his films are made available, as they occasioanlly succeed to astound the viewer with brilliant gags and set-ups, but Pollard himself was hardly more than a tool for the gags, and as he unlike Harold Lloyd never progressed into anything more complex, three films at a time (like here) feels just appropriate.

The next three films with James Parrott, brother of the more famous Charles "Charley Chase" Parrott, are a long-awaited treat for fans of Chase in search for a more comprehensive study of the brother's skills. Like his brother, James was extremely talented both as a comedian and director, and these films generally execute that talent satisfyingly. A more surprising gem is A FRESH START starring the forgotten Jimmie Adams and Lige Conley, which provides plenty of very clever gags in an action-loaded short. I don't remember having seen anything else with this pair, but if they made anything as good as this one that still survives, please go on and release it, somebody. KID SPEED displays the more famous, but often neglected Larry Semon. I'm honestly no big fan of this comedian; one reason to this, paradoxically, is that while he's certainly capable of staging gags, some of which are funny indeed, they usually seem clumsily constructed in context to one another. However, if your mood demands nothing more than some good gags to pop up here and there, he can be satisfying enough.

The final two films on Disc One might be the foremost reason why I bought this set in the first place; that is, two films starring the (once again) all too often neglected but brilliant "poor soul comedian" Lloyd Hamilton, in JONAH JONES respectively BREEZING ALONG. Few of Hamilton's films surive today, and even fewer are available to the public, so it's extremely pleasing to have these two included here. Unfortunately, by the time BREEZING ALONG was made, Hamilton's often difficult personal life had diminished his creativity somewhat compared to just a few years before, but his talent is still very evident.

Disc Two is all Chaplin, even though Chaplin isn't really in any of the films; first out are a few of the popular "Chaplin Cartoons" of the 1910's by Sullivan/Messmer, before we get to see yet another, pretty amusing film starring the best of the many Chaplin-impersonators, Billy West. However, the real treat of this disc is to see Chaplin's brother Sidney starring in three shorts as well as a feature (being the only one in the set); in the short CAUGHT IN A PARK, Sidney manages to remain quite sophisticated and cleverly-spirited in a Keystone-farce which otherwise would've appeared as little more than standard procedure. Disc Three consists of the excellent Billy Bevan-short BE REASONABLE, Neal Burns in CALL THE WAGON, an early talkie appearance with Louise Fazenda, and others displaying more obscure names.

As for the presentation, this is where Laughsmith satisfies to an even more astonishing degree than in the previous volume; each performer is granted a short, informative presentation before his/her work is shown, making it even more intriguing to observe and enjoy the individuality of their skills. The booklet inside includes an introduction by historian David Kalat, president of All Day Entertainment, and a fascinating essay by Steve Massa in which both the performers and their films, as well as silent comedy in general, is studied at a closer distance. The only complaint I've got, and this is truly minor, is that while the films included are listed, as well as their running-time and source material, so are not the performers in them, requiring the curious to check it up on the web. As for the films themselves, they are generally as sharp as one should expect from films of this era; of course there are stratches in most of them, and a few segments are even badly damaged, but being an inexhaustive fan of silent comedy, I'm just glad these films are made available for me, and others, to see at all. To those of you who have yet to check out the major work of Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd I'd advise you to hunt for CITY LIGHTS and SAFETY LAST! instead, but if you are already familiar with such gems, it's time to move a step further; being familiar with the genre, you are probably aware that even though the VERY best is already seen, what remains can be quite a joy as well.

If you love silent film, if you find yourself drawn to archival collections of rarely seen movie gems and especially if you have a taste for broad comedy - you'll enjoy this new set from Facets.

There are two shorts from the `30s at the very end of the set - but it's essentially a collection of silents. And, because this is a silents set, you'll want to know that the audio track is entertaining. You'll hear some Scott Joplin here and other piano riffs from long ago. Some silent DVD releases in recent years have gone out of their way to enhance the audio experience, including offering multiple audio settings for the films. This is a single standard soundtrack -- nevertheless, lots of fun and well performed.

Here's what I think is most intriguing about this collection:

I reviewed this 3-disc set in the same week that the Seth Rogen comedy, "Pineapple Express," hit theaters and I got hooked on jotting down all the comic bits in these silent comedies that I had just seen in the new Rogen comedy. In fact, a clever film student could take the script of "Pineapple Express," listing all the slapstick bits one after another - and edit clips from silent films to fill the same script, virtually start to finish.

It's remarkable, really. Here's an example: In one fight scene, Rogen and his nemesis wrestle with Rogen's bulky figure half bent over a low counter, flipping around and tangling together. That's standard business from silent film. In this collection, it's Harold Lloyd fighting over the counter in a general store.

One bit after another, they're all here. Before I was done, I stopped jotting down the corresponding scenes because there were dozens.

What's more, in this set of comedies, you'll meet some rarely seen comic heroes - like Lloyd Hamilton, who is basically a Seth Rogen from the silent era. Like Rogen, Hamilton certainly didn't cut the typical figure of a leading man. Yet, he was attractive to the girls in his films, largely because of his loveable, hapless, persistent style. Like Rogen, his trademarks were a pudgy figure, a puzzled expression alternated with a confident smile, and his big round face. In "Pineapple," Rogen plays virtually the entire film in an ill-fitting suit, which was a Lloyd Hamilton trademark, as well.

This new collection is great fun - plus, if you've a taste for cultural history, you'll make all sorts of connections while you're chuckling.

This is a collection of "B" comedies mostly by "B"-rate actors, and a few of the movies are actually quite well made and very funny. There are also a few embryonic and even pre-embryonic Harold Lloyd films, which is interesting. This compilation includes a number of movie fragments, which are less interesting, and a couple of boring sound movies. David Kalat has said he was at one time hoping to make an "American Slapstick #3" DVD. If he had some good, funny complete films for #3, I wish he had taken a few of the films for that proposed volume and put them on this volume, instead of the fragments.

The image quality ranges widely. A few of the films are almost impossible to watch, but some are quite good. A real find here is "Call the Wagon", a VERY funny movie with Neal Burns (whom you never heard of, right?) that has SUPERB musical accompaniment by Ethan Uslan, and very good image quality. The Billy Bevan short "Be Reasonable" has a rather poor image quality, but it's a very funny and imaginative film that I am glad to see reconstructed here. "Kid Speed" is an excellent short by Larry Semon, which shows off Semon's comedy at its best; again, the image quality is poor, but the film is complete and the musical accompaniment is very good, so if you've been curious about this forgotten star, this film may be the place to start.

The informative booklet that accompanies the DVD is unfortunately not well organized. It talks about the actors, but does not tell which films are theirs, which is confusing.

I know there are some who denounce sound effects, feeling that they bring attention to the filmmaking instead of the film, but I have always enjoyed a sensible use of musical comments to the comic events in a silent film. Blaine Gale plays organ to a couple of films in this anthology, and I consider his playing to be absolutely exemplary. His musical sound effects bring attention TO THE COMEDY, which is as it should be. Compare Gale's excellent musical commentary for the Billy Bevan short, "The Hobo" to the lifeless organ accompaniment by Ben Model in the Lloyd Hamilton film "Jonah Jones". Gale would really bring a new vitality to "Jonah", but Model just mumbles away in the background and the comedy seems much more flat than it is. On the other hand, after doing his usual lackluster job on several films, "Cinderella Cinders" comes up and...guess what? Model does his best-ever job accompanying a silent film; not only does he make many clever musical comments on specific comic bits (especially in the beginning with the Soup Slurping and Pancake Eating routines), but he actually plays FAST for a wild race scene! I've never HEARD Model play fast before! So, I give him his due...

Jay Warren is a fine composer, lending good solid musical background to two films, and I was very happy with his music; but the other really GREAT find in silent-film accompaniment is Ethan Uslan. Uslan's music can also be found on a couple of Chaplin films in the Flicker Alley compilation of "Chaplin at Keystone". I greatly hope that more producers request Mr. Uslan's services in upcoming silent comedy releases. On the other hand, Andrew Earle Simpson's highly unpleasant piano ravings ruin the films he plays for, especially a very lively Sennett "A Hash House Fraud", which becomes quickly unwatchable with the sound turned on.

The film of "Charley's Aunt" is a pretty clean image, although not as sharp as I would like. David Drazin begins and ends the film with the best music I've ever heard him play: real tunes with real harmonies. But not too far into the movie he begins his usual frantic diddling that I find extremely annoying, and he keeps it up through most of the movie. "Charley's Aunt" is a pretty slow and labored story that needs all the help it can get, and Drazin's accompaniment doesn't help it along too much. He does try to fit different scenes with somewhat different moods, but his variations in music are not always as carefully delineated as I would like, and he does not comment on specific actions. His up-and-down scales and endless one-note-after-another puttering becomes grating very quickly.

If you really enjoy silent comedy, I think it's worth saving your pennies and getting this album. It does contain several films entertaining enough to watch several times, and the music to most of the better films is appropriate to excellent. If you do not like to squint a little (as another reviewer has put it) to watch movies with some less-than-optimal image, you may find this a difficult release to sit through; or if you really only want to watch the best in silent films, then this dvd is probably not for you.

As said before by other reviewers, this set doesn't present the best of silent comedy, but obscurities of interest mainly for collectors and already silent film fans. As such, it deserves the five stars.

Said that, the set presents films which, with some isolated exceptions, are truly hard to find and which have never been before on DVD. One of the exceptions is Harold Lloyd's "Don't Shove", already on "Smiles & Spectacles - The Harold Lloyd Treasury" DVD. Prints are mostly fine, considering the rarity of these items, and in some cases fragmentary. An odd case, however, is Paul Parrott's brilliant short "POST NO BILLS", which appears here in a badly shaped and slightly truncated print (the beginning and the end are missing, along with some scenes in the middle). This is worth noting becausa a complete and sharp print of this short is already on DVD on Lobster's outstanding collection "Retour de Flamme" (Saved from the flames), VOL.6. This sole fact makes me doubt if some of the not so good prints here do exist in pristine form in some archive, but probably not even the producers of this DVD would be able to answer to that. In any case, we must be thankful for the effort of giving us so many rare items, many of which are also, besides its interest for collector, very funny films indeed.

The Sidney Chaplin shorts are very interesting to watch, as well as his feature "Charley's Aunt", which appears here in a complete and sharp print.

Fragmentary are the rare Harold Lloyd's Luke comedy "Luke Joins the Navy" (1916), the obscure Snub Pollard item "Whirl o' the West", on which Pollard appears with clean face! and the fake Chaplin "Oh! Shoot" (1923).

The rest of the set had already been commented. All in all, a great set with obscure items mostly not to be found elsewhere else (some of them appeared on Looser Than Loose DVDs, but these you have to buy on their own site from collector Dave Stevenson, who provided with many of the prints for this set).